Nestled in the quaint village of Chachar in Uttarakhand’s Udham Singh Nagar district, Kuninda was founded by siblings Radhika and Kabir Singh in 2019. Its name derived from an ancient Himalayan kingdom, Kuninda was set up with the intention of reimagining mustard and exploring inventive ways to use fruits grown on their family’s seven-decades-old farm located in the Terai belt, an eco-region at the base of the Himalayas, as well as adapting their grandfather’s vinegar-making process by using indigenous varieties of jamuns, apples, plum, and kafal, all rooted in the larger Kumaon region in Uttarakhand.
Kuninda’s journey first began after Radhika—who currently handles the production and operations—moved back to India from France in 2011. She was drawn by a lifelong dream of tending to the family farm as the third-generation owner, while also expanding it as a homegrown brand. Today, Kuninda highlights produce grown across Uttarakhand through diverse staples—original preparations of vinegars and ciders born out of two years of trial-and-error; artisanal mustards; and local interpretations of infused vinegars like switchels (root infusions traditionally mixed with rum) and oxymels (herbal infusion typically sweetened with honey).
At its heart, Kuninda is grounded by a deep responsibility for the land. The ingredients used for their products are either sustainably grown on their 60-acre farm, or are carefully sourced from farmers and organisations from Uttarakhand, Kerala, and Rajasthan.
For instance, they grow indigenous and non-GMO varieties of yellow and black mustard that not only suit their humid micro-climate, but also act as a natural pest repellent and a valuable source of food for local bee populations. These grains are later aged, cured, and stone-ground to make Kuninda’s line of mustards, minus any chemicals or preservatives. Fruits like mangoes, lemons, and jamuns are also cultivated seasonally on their farm, while soil regeneration and mycelium growth are promoted through the use of jeevamrut, a fermented fertiliser made from cow manure, cane jaggery, and gram flour, along with dhaincha (sesbania bispinosa), a nitrogen-fixing green manure crop sown off-season during the end of April to improve soil structure.
Similarly, the rymer apple—a traditionally-grown variety that is losing popularity in the region owing to newer, larger varieties—is sourced from Gopal Daju’s orchards, a producer they personally know in Dhanachuli, 96 kilometres away. Spices like Ceylon cinnamon and black peppercorn are sourced from Kerala, while cumin is sourced directly from Colonel Gopal Ranawat, a farmer located just outside Jaipur, Rajasthan.
Kuninda manufactures all their products in small batches. Instead of using cold storage, production scales are adjusted according to the size and frequency of the harvest. However, in recent years, erratic weather patterns spurred by the climate crisis have impacted growing cycles in the surrounding region. According to Radhika, this ranges from warmer-than-usual winters to unnatural flowering patterns and unseasonal rains and wind that have damaged yields.
At present, Kuninda is in the works of introducing a new line of staples—indigenous varieties of wheat flour, rice, spices, mustard oil and fruit pulps. They are also working alongside other farmers to scale production and generate a sustainable revenue stream from produce that naturally thrives in their region.
The Locavore Bite
TL Bite offers a glimpse into how a partner producer runs their operations, and reflects their core principles and values. The idea is to provide insights into their practices and highlight their positive efforts descriptively. We have identified seven key areas of assessment – origin and source of ingredients, composition and integrity of the products, workforce policies, production practices, community-related initiatives, approach towards preserving or celebrating traditional knowledge and the materials used in packaging. While this assessment may not be entirely comprehensive, we hope it helps you make an informed decision about why you might want to support them, and the ways in which to do so.
The information below offers you a snapshot of where Kuninda stands on these parameters. We have put this together based on several rounds of conversations with Radhika Singh. Click on a piece of the pie below to find out more.
Why We Love Kuninda
- Using indigenous varieties: Currently, many orchards in Uttarakhand are replacing the traditionally-grown rymer apple trees with high-density varieties. However, Kuninda encourages their preservation by offering growers competitive pricing and maintaining a steady demand. Their oxymels are infused with bruised fresh needles of indigenous conifers like deodar, Himalayan fir, and Himalayan cypress from forests in the Kumaon region.
- Small-scale artisanal practices: Kuninda relies on traditional methods that provide employment to local women by incorporating skills and knowledge already familiar to them. These methods further allow Kuninda to preserve the flavours and integrity of their produce. Their vinegars are made by fermenting whole fruit, mustard grains are ground using hand-turned stone chakkis, spices are hand-pounded in imam dastas (mortar and pestle), and onion, garlic, ginger, green chillies, tej patta are ground using sil battas. The fruits used to make vinegars are cut on hassias by women from Dhada village, located about one kilometre from the farm.
- Heirloom knowledge: The chilli relish from their line of preserves draws from a pickle recipe first made by Radhika and Kabir’s grandmother, Surjit Kaur, and her sister, Rajkumari Kaur, while the lemons in their bitter-sweet marmalade come from trees planted three generations ago in their backyard. Kuninda’s fire cider was inspired by an 18th-century French legend, while their vinegars build on techniques inherited from their grandfather, Harpal Singh Chaudhari.
With the climate crisis affecting the region, what role do you see indigenous crops and varieties playing?
Indigenous crops are inherently sturdier, drought- and flood-resistant, and less susceptible to pests. They might not offer the high-density yield that everyone is after but they last, and have lasted the test of time. The Terai region, apart from being fertile and diverse, has also seen extremes of all weather. It naturally forces one to be adaptable—human, animal, and plant alike. When focusing on indigenous varieties, we aren’t just looking at them as sturdy crops but also at their ability to maintain the delicate balance of an ecosystem, support insect and bird populations which makes pollination possible, and maintains soil health. Everything is interdependent and the Terai is a testament to precisely this. Our job as custodians is to facilitate and encourage that diversity so the ecosystem can exist well after we are gone. Or at least that is the hope and desire.
—Radhika Singh, Co-founder, Kuninda
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If you would like to learn more about Kuninda, or try their products, check out their website. If you’re interested in supporting them in other ways, please contact us at connect@thelocavore.in.
This is a paid partnership with Kuninda. At The Locavore, we strive to keep the practices of a producer transparent and honest across all forms of partnerships.
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